ARTICLES ABOUT WGN BY DATE - PAGE 5

Wrapped snugly around each of his wrists was a subtle, meaningful reminder. The tribute was born during Justin Jackson's youth football days, an idea the Glenbard North senior and his older brother, Phil Jackson II, came up with together. Every October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Justin Jackson dons pink wristbands during games in honor of his mother, Denise Jackson, who died of the disease when Justin was 3 years old. "Breast cancer is something I'm very conscious of and will be for the rest of my life, as it has touched my family as well many families," said Justin Jackson, who recently found out an aunt from his mother's side was diagnosed with the disease.

A woman was caught on surveillance video stealing puppies from two suburban pet stores Friday morning. According to a press release from the Petkey Director of Operations, a woman was captured on video stealing a male, 14 week old white Maltese named Hercules from a Petland store in Bolingbrook. Police were immediately notified and began reviewing the footage. About 30 minutes after that incident, another woman was caught on surveillance video stealing a 10 week old white Havanese puppy named Casper from the Petland store in Naperville.

The Chicago Cubs have had a television home on WGN since 1948. Other than the team's World Series drought, it's a whole new ballgame these days. Most different are the escalating economics of baseball, which explains the Cubs' decision to exercise an option to leave WGN-TV after next season - unless the broadcaster agrees to pay up. The team notified the Tribune Co.-owned station Tuesday that it had 30 days to agree to substantially higher fees for the 2015 season and beyond, or the broadcast rights would be opened up for negotiation with other media, according to sources close to the situation.

The Chicago Cubs have exercised an option to get out of their broadcast contract with WGN-TV after the 2014 season, sources said Wednesday. The team notified the Tribune Co.-owned station on Tuesday it had 30 days to agree to substantially higher fees for the 2015 season and beyond, or the broadcast rights would be opened up for negotiation with other media, according to a source close to the situation. The move not only sets a higher price for the broadcast rights, but shortens the duration of the agreement to 2019, lopping three years off the existing agreement.

Fox 32 Chicago is looking for a new executive producer of its perennially low-rated "Good Day Chicago" after the resignation Friday of Dominick Stasi, according to a station spokeswoman. Stasi, who joined WFLD-Ch.32 as executive producer of "Good Day Chicago" in August 2012, is leaving for a nighttime role at WGN-Ch.9. In November, Stasi will become executive producer of WGN's 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. newscasts, as well as oversee the CLTV newsroom overnight. "Dominick is creative, thoughtful and a strong leader," Greg Caputo, WGN-TV news director, said in a statement.

If the Cubs want to continue their long relationship with WGN-AM 720, dating back to 1925, they likely will have to do it at a reduced price. Strapped with an expensive rights deal and sharply declining ratings because of the Cubs' struggles on the field, WGN is exercising an option to re-open their contract with the team. Broadcast sources say WGN is losing significant money on the Cubs broadcasts, with listeners and advertisers tuning out a team that has lost 197 games in the last two years.

WGN America has given Skydance TV and Lionsgate TV a 13-episode order for a 1940s period drama chronicling the development of the atomic bomb in Los Alamos, N.M. Dubbed " Manhattan ," the project is the first original series to hail from David Ellison's newly formed Skydance banner. Tribune Studios is also producing. Series was created by Sam Shaw, who exec produces with Ellison ( pictured ), Dana Goldberg and Skydance TV topper Marcy Ross. Thomas Schlamme is on board to direct and exec produce.

Beyond a number of high-profile lineup changes at WGN-AM 720, another subtle but significant programming shift is coming next week - - a new traffic reporting service. The station is switching to Utah-based Radiate Media in a multi-year agreement, ending its affiliation with Clear Channel Media's Total Traffic Network. Terms were not disclosed, but Radiate provides both on-air reporters and traffic information in return for commercial inventory on its client stations. "It's a really good economic deal for us, but most importantly, it's a better product," said Jimmy de Castro, president and general manager of WGN Radio. Listeners may not notice much of a difference, with embedded WGN traffic reporters Mary Van De Velde, Leslie Keiling and Ted Novak making the move over to the new company.